Dave Grohl Reveals Jazz Embarrassment Brought on by Mother
Dave Grohl is widely regarded as one of the top drummers in rock though these days he's fronting Foo Fighters, but that wasn't always the case. While taking part in a recent chat with his mom Virginia Hanlon Grohl at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Grohl relayed one of his most embarrassing experiences growing up, all in the name of trying to make his mother's birthday at great one.
In the clip above, Grohl recalls a weekly gathering at the Washington, D.C. area One Step Down club that he and his mother would frequent. The tiny jazz club was a favorite, even for the young Grohl who was "an established punk rock kid with stupid hair and ripped up jeans."
The club had a jazz workshop night on Sundays where guests could come play with the house band, but Grohl revealed it was primarily accomplished musicians who sat in. "I loved it because I was listening to experimental music and getting weird so I could appreciate jazz and the improvisation and how wild it could be," says Grohl.
But one particular night, Grohl's mom was celebrating her birthday and wanted nothing more than to see her son play drums with the band. Grohl recalls his horror, as he had been playing for about a year and was mostly influenced by Minor Threat and more hardcore and punk bands. "Please God no, please God no," Grohl thought to himself when his name was finally called, but he took his place behind the kit and made his way through the nerve-wracking experience. Watch Grohl share the story in hilarious detail in the video above.
Grohl and his mother were on hand at the Festival of Books event to promote Virginia Grohl's new page turner, From Cradle to Stage: Stories From the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars. Not only does Grohl offer insights, but she also spoke to the mothers of Geddy Lee, Dr. Dre, Amy Winehouse Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine, Michael Stipe and many more about their experiences. The book is available now at this location.
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